The San Francisco 49ers are looking for some emerging talents on their roster after losing quite a few key players over the offseason. It may only be training camp, but defensive coordinator Robert Saleh believes that he may already have found a rookie who could come in and be a Week 1 starter for the Niners.
Several starting jobs are up for grabs entering the new season, and they will likely be won during training camp and preseason action. On defense, several rookies are making their claim for snaps in their first year in the pros, and one first-year player in particular has caught the attention of Saleh at the beginning of training camp.
Robert Saleh Gushes Over Rookie Cornerback Upton Stout
After a failed stint as the New York Jets head coach, Saleh is back with the 49ers, working as head coach Kyle Shanahan’s defensive coordinator. Saleh will be tasked with getting this unit back on track after a rough 2024 campaign, and a big part of that will involve relying on a new crop of rookies, as the front office heavily targeted the defensive side of the ball in the 2025 NFL Draft.
One player who is part of that crop is cornerback Upton Stout, who was selected in the third round of the draft. Stout spent two years with the North Texas Mean Green before transferring to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers for his final three seasons. Stout was a starting nickelback for his three seasons with Western Kentucky, racking up 52 tackles, one sack, one interception, and one pass defended in the 2024 season.
The concern surrounding Upton is his size, as he only measures at 5’8. However, he has been earning reps as the 49ers’ starting nickelback early in training camp, and Saleh warned folks not to judge Stout simply based on his size, as he claimed that the former Hilltopper plays bigger than he looks.
“Don’t fall asleep on his size,” Saleh said recently when speaking about Stout. “The guy plays way bigger than he is, and bigger than he looks. He’s got a violence to him, and a violence to his demeanor.”
49ers Looking to Robert Saleh to Turn Defense Around in 2025
Saleh enjoyed a great deal of success with the Niners as their defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020, so the team is hoping he can lead in a new era of success with their defense moving forward. There are a lot of new faces in town this season, and how Saleh manages to utilize them will be key in determining whether they can get back on track in 2025.
The 49ers have long been known for featuring a lockdown defense, and they will be looking to get back to their roots after struggling in 2024. The development of guys like Stout will be crucial, but the good news is that he’s already making a positive impact in training camp, which could help him earn a starting gig in Saleh’s defense come Week 1.
